Almost Spring
By Sherrill Schlimpert
April in Missouri – almost spring - April showers, a few perfect days…then an occasional freeze and having to cover your sprouting daffodils with trash bags. Sometimes my life feels like April – almost arriving, almost achieving, almost content…warm days that start and end with a chill – kind of like my successes that begin with anxiety, flow into a moment of satisfaction, then end with wondering whether I can duplicate the experience.
I want to learn to love April – not just as a gateway to spring, but for itself, for its tumultuous changes, ranging from gray, rainy cold to brilliant, clear sunshine. I want to learn to be content in all circumstances as Paul models in Phil. 4.
Instead, I often fight life, always looking to the full blossoming of May. Then in May, I end up waiting until it’s warm enough to swim. Then in summer, waiting for the cooler days of September and getting into the fall routine. Then in October being ready for a day to build a fire and pull out the afghan. I’ve spent much of my life like that – waiting for the house to be built, for vacation to come, for the kids to be older, for retirement…
Yes, I long to be content, to live in the moment, to appreciate my cacophony of dreams and ideas that roll around in my head, not as a to-do-list, but as seeds to water and grow patiently, almost imperceptibly. And, to appreciate my moments of arriving, of successes, expecting them to dissipate on the way to the next plateau, recognizing life is not lived on mountaintops. Most of all, I want to recognize that those dreams or accomplishments are not mine, for I do know that apart from Him I can do nothing! (John 15:5)
I get a picture of being content as one of learning to flow in the River of Life that flows only from the throne of God. (Rev. 22:1) Here, I see myself lying back in the arms of my Savior, letting Him direct me. Occasionally, I am asked to paddle on my own, but always I can rely on His buoyancy to keep me afloat. And as I lay back and look up into the clouds, His ethereal Spirit lifts me, centering my thoughts, bringing my emotions back in line with my knowledge of truth. Here, looking up instead of around, is where I can embrace my uniqueness as a divine creation, taking a deep breath that sustains the life force deep within me. It is here I levitate into the person I envision myself to be, above the ordinary struggling person I become in the dailiness and wearying swim of each day.
Yet, even still, there are times where I begin to sink, and like a drowning man grasp at my rescuer, impeding His plan for safety, not trusting what I’m told in Jer. 29:11 that He knows the plans He has for me. For He can see downriver – and all I can see are the rapids, where life threatens – or the squalls, where I seem to get stuck for a while.
But it’s only in the recognizing that all of life is a river , a gift constantly changing, always flowing, that I’ll learn to be content, enjoy the Aprils, and enjoy the ride!
The River of Life by Sherrill Schlimpert
Discontent, oh what a demon
That steals away my peace.
It takes a conscious effort
To demand a sweet release.
Recognizing its darkness
And naming it as sin
Is the first step to freedom
As it begins to steal within.
Living beyond the moment,
Never being satisfied,
We must snatch up those thoughts,
Not allow them to be ratified.
It’s then from the River of Life (Rev. 22:1)
We must draw upon as nourishment,
Step into and drink its sweetness
And from there derive encouragement.
We must recognize the River
Has a mighty plan,
It flows where it knows is right (Jer. 29:11)
Despite the efforts of man.
If we fight its rapids,
Or don’t rest in a squall,
We are refusing to trust in the River of Life
Who is our all in all.
We must float in calm assurance
That we’ll be kept from all harms
As we wait in Our rescuer –
Our Savior’s everlasting arms.
Copyright © March, 2007 - Sherrill Schlimpert. All rights reserved.
Back to Articles Main Page : : : : Back to Articles Sorted By Writer : : : : Back to Articles Sorted by Title
|
